Hideo Kojima reportedly has “an encyclopedic knowledge” of Death Stranding’s review scores and believes America’s preference for shooters led to lesser scores for the PS4 exclusive.
Death Stranding‘s Metascore currently sits at82on aggregation siteMetacritic, with its 120 review scores ranging from 35/100 to full marks. At the time of publication, the game’s user score is 7.2.
According to a recently publishedNew York Times profile, creator Kojima seemed “slightly troubled” by lower reviews in the “American gaming press,” which is likely in reference toIGN’s 6.8 reviewand 7/10 scores fromUSGamerandGame Informer.
“In America, they’re used to shooters, so they don’t gulp it down,” Kojima told the publication. “It’s OK; everyone can evaluate what they want.”
Kojima reportedly noted he saw a similar resistance to the stealth concept in the Metal Gear Solid games at the time. “In three to five years, we will see what people will say.”
It’s suggested that Death Stranding reviewed comparatively better in Europe, although analysis of the game’s Metacritic scores suggest this is not the case.
The majority of the lowest Death Stranding review scores on Metacritic are actually from European and Australian publications such asVG247(3/5),Digital Spy(3/5),Ausgamers(6/10), Edge (6/10),Gaming Bible(6/10),Aus Gamers(6/10) andVGC(3/5). IGN’s 6.8 review was also covered by its Australian office.
At launch, US publicationsGamespot,Washington PostandEGMall gave Death Stranding 9 or 10 out of 10 review scores, and some analysis suggested that the average Death Stranding metascoredoesn’t differ greatly across North America, Europe and Asia.
In a separate interview published in November,Kojima claimed he expected “positive and negative reactions” to Death Strandingbecause of the game’s unique design.
“This happens when you attempt to do something new, even in movies or games,” Kojima toldPlayStation Access. “If people are faced with something they haven’t experienced before, it can be challenging. It was the same when I first did a stealth title.
“But I am hoping with the support I get from fans, that positivity will spread out. And that in five years or 10 years people will look back at Death Stranding as a new standard. Then I’ll try and create something new again.”
Death Stranding will be released for PC on May 15, 2025.
